Officials in charge of running Wisconsin’s elections asked a judge to dismiss a case brought forward by Republican legislators who alleged the state’s new ballots are unfair and will confuse voters.
The Government Accountability Board argued in their request to dismiss the case that Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, improperly filed their lawsuit.
The GAB said in their motion to Waukesha County Circuit Judge James Kieffer the lawmakers cannot challenge the ballots in all 68 counties because their combined legislative districts only include Racine, Walworth, Columbia and Jefferson counties.
Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, who is representing the GAB, also contended that lawmakers should have filed complaints with their respective district attorney’s or the Board itself before filing in court.
In the original lawsuit, Vos and Fitzgerald argued the new formats of lines and shading could make it difficult for voters distinguish between the different political races.
“Specifically, GAB’s new ballot design will result in confusion and a failure to understand the ballot and will lead to an increase in what are known as under-voted ballots,” Vos and Fitzgerald said in their original complaint.
An under-voted ballot occurs when citizens fail to vote for all the elections listed throughout the ballot.
Last week, Kevin Kennedy, the state’s chief election officer, said in a press conference it would be impractical to redesign and reprint new ballots with fewer than 50 day until the election.
“The ballot looks different,” Kennedy said last week. “We’ve made some changes but they’re not significant differences.”
